PlainRelocate

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin → Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to Chicago-Naperville-Elgin is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.3 to 103.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $51/mo.

+$9,244
BLS median salary higher in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
602 to 277
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 13.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,397
DOL infant care higher / yr in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 96.3 → 103.6
Rent Delta: +$51/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $9K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Better student-teacher ratios

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - $51/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 96.3 to 103.6, so the same paycheck buys less in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin (ratio 1.08). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $51/mo ($612/yr) from $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to $1,781 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin sits #329 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is #337/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $9,244 higher ($67,856 → $77,100). Labor-market size: 1,079,340 tracked jobs at origin vs 4,480,500 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Tennessee scores 66 (C, #17/51) vs Illinois at 58 (D, #31/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.3
RPP 103.6
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Rent (2BR)
$1,730/mo
$1,781/mo
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Wages
$67,856
$77,100
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Crime
602 per 100K
277 per 100K
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Schools
15.2:1
13.4:1
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Childcare
$7,860/yr
$12,257/yr
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Environment
1192 violations
3029 violations
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
Destination state · Illinois
58 D #31/51
Income tax
95
Property tax
46
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
46

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to see what you'd need to earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
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See the reverse: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026